#17 Pedon syleily (Finnish title) by Ilkka Remes

#18 Pääkallokehrääjä by Ilkka Remes

#19 When the Eagle Hunts by Simon Scarrow

Lately I mostly finished Dutch non-fiction books about Dutch topics that I didn't feel like mentioning, as I would not only have to translate the title, but to explain what they're about I had to tell in English things about Dutch history and geography that I only know the Dutch words for.

This week I finished a book that's more in line with what most people read here:

Sojourn, by R.A. Salvatore, the last part of the trilogy that deals with Drizzt's origins, taking place just before The Crystal Shard, Salvatore's first written book about Drizzt.

Most interesting book I'm currently involved in is Sleepwalkers by Christoper Clark, about what political constellations caused the First World War and a book about foreign country journalism and the question if reliable journalism is possible from dictatorial ruled countries and conflict zones. Very interesting. It's called "Het maakbare nieuws" (makeable news) and is a reaction to "Het zijn net mensen" by Joris Luyendijk.

A few more to add to the list:

Love Factually: 10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do / by Duana Welch
Considers the scientific research of relations between the sexes. Interesting even though I'm already married.

Tremendous Trifles / G.K. Chesterton
Collection of articles considering great issues through small incidents. Insightful as always.

The Slumbering Masses / Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer
A social and philosophical work about sleep as practiced in American culture. Includes such issues as why sleep patterns changed in the early 19th century (and why we think our current practice of 8 consolidated hours is normal even if it is relatively recent), how social and institutional demands determine such a private practice, how use of pharmaceuticals reinforce the idea that people are more flexible than institutions, and how medical and psychological disorders of sleep are determined more by social and institutional concerns than by concerns of health. Interesting not only for it's subject matter, but as a way to consider any negotiation of private matters and social/institutional obligation.

Full list here.

Finished two more.

The Ball and the Cross / by G.K. Chesterton
Not as successful as some of his better novels, but he is always thought-provoking.

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day / Arnold Bennett
Stop wasting time reading the newspaper and playing bridge; use your brain and make something of yourself. Actually it's a short, good self-help book from 1908, written in an engagingly humorous style.

Full list here.

Promis of Blood - Brian McCellan
Crimson Campaign - Brian McCellan
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
Tanith First and Only - Dan Abnett
Night and the Enemy - Harlan Ellison
Propoganda Cartoons of WW2 - Tony Husband
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
Berserk (All volumes available in english) - Kentaro Miura
Gunsmith Cats (including Burst) - Keichi Sonada

and half of Joe Halderman's Forever War (I just couldn't dig it)

Bit dissapointed at this years progress. I quit smoking which threw my game wayyyyy off.

It has been a long time since I updated this list, but that doesn't mean I managed to read a lot of books. Since last time, I finished A Crown of Swords (Robert Jordan), Baptism of Fire (Andrzej Sapkowski) and The Path of Daggers (Robert Jordan). I either don't remember a book or I broke my rule that I shouldn't read two books of the Wheel of Time series one after another. Anyway, as I'm over halfway now, I hope to finish the Wheel of Time somewhere in 2016. So far, it has been an interesting and enjoyable journey.

List so far:
#0: What if?, Randall Munroe
#1: The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan
#2: The Time of contempt, Andrzej Sapkowski
#3: Mee met morgen
#4: The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
#5: The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
#6: Lords of Chaos, Robert Jordan
#7: A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
#8: Baptism of Fire, Andrzej Sapkowski
#9: The Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan

Wolf's Head, by Steven McKay
It's actually a trilogy and it's an alternate telling of the Robin Hood story. I'm about to the middle of the second one and so far, so good.

only ones that come to mind is the destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson. very good series in my opinion.

Haven't updated in quite some time, so here's a few more, although I'm not sure if I'm remembering them all. Anyway...

The Historian - by Elizabeth Kostova. I believe this was a first novel and very impressive if so. She can certainly write and has a way of describing places that make it very easy to see them in your mind's eye. Basically, another telling of the Dracula story, but well done and worth the read.

11/22/63 - by Stephen King. I've been a King fan for decades and finally got around to reading this one (which has been on my shelf since it was released). A 'what if' tale that takes the main character back in time where he stops the Kennedy assassination via the use of a time portal discovered in a friend's diner. I liked this one, even though it has the predictable plot of 'Yeah, if you could change things, the outcome isn't what you think it will be'.

Quicksilver - by Neal Stephenson. I do love this guy's writing and this book is no exception. Reminds me though, that I have to get back and complete this trilogy, as this was only book 1.

Firestarter - by Stephen King. Read it before several times but had a hankering to read it again. So I did. For some reason I've always really liked this book even though it's really not that great.

Dead Mountain - by Donnie Eichar. An investigative look at - and possible explanation for - the mysterious events of the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959. A very plausible explanation, actually and one I feel is likely what happened. I read this one after seeing it discussed here on the forums and am glad I did. Well written.

Dune - by Frank Herbert. I've read this many times and tend to re-reda it every couple years or so. Had the desire to do so again, so just finished this one. On to the next books in the series now.

Full List.

I'll post another time the full list, but I just finished "The Martian"... and it's brilliant!
Not since Dune I experienced an author this intelligent. He's astronaut material.

And two final books to round out the year:

William Blake / G.K. Chesterton
Alarms and Discursions / G.K. Chesterton

Full list here.

I have finished one last book before 2015 was over, so it belongs here: Wat (w)eten we, a Dutch (there's a pun in the title, so it's untranslatable) about the food industry, and everything, from main production up to the distribution, that goes wrong. It's quite nuanced, and also offers a lot of good examples, so it was a nice read to finish 2015 with.

List:
#0: What if?, Randall Munroe
#1: The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan
#2: The Time of contempt, Andrzej Sapkowski
#3: Mee met morgen
#4: The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
#5: The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
#6: Lords of Chaos, Robert Jordan
#7: A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
#8: Baptism of Fire, Andrzej Sapkowski
#9: The Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
#10: Wat (w)eten we, Laurens de Meyer

That makes 10 (11?) books in total, which, considering the size of some and everything else I do, is still quite good, though I'd like to finish more. I'll see what 2016 brings.